Ferd Lewis
Time to reward baseball's finest
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
As we prepare for the start of Major League Baseball's league championship showdowns, let's pause to take care of one final bit of pressing business: the regular season awards.
The envelopes, please:
Most Valuable Player
National League: Who else but Barry Bonds?
Nobody has ever won four MVP titles before, but then, nobody has had the season Bonds did, either: 73 home runs, .515 on-base percentage and .860 slugging percentage.
Unfortunately for San Francisco fans, picking up the trophy might turn out to be his last official act as a Giant.
Runner-up: Luis Gonzalez, Arizona.
American League: Bret Boone, Seattle.
It isn't easy to replace an Alex Rodriguez and all that he took with him to Texas. Unless you have Boone and the year he put up: .331 batting average, 37 home runs and 141 runs batted in.
Runners-up: Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle and Jason Giambi, Oakland.
Cy Young Award
National League: Randy Johnson, Arizona.
Nearly as tough as trying to hit them, was deciding who had the better year: Johnson or teammate Curt Schilling. It was Johnson, barely: 21-6 record, 2.49 earned run average.
Runner-up: Schilling.
American League: Roger Clemens, New York.
To get back to the playoffs, the Yankees needed a championship-level performance and Clemens provided it with a 20-3 record, 3.51 ERA.
Runner-up: Freddy Garcia, Seattle.
Rookie of the Year
National League: Albert Pujols, St. Louis.
Pujols made the leap from class "A" look easy while playing a variety of positions in a season —æ.329, 37, 130 — that made him an MVP candidate as well.
Runner-up: Roy Oswalt, Houston.
American League: Ichiro.
Hardly your typical "rookie" with seven batting titles in Japan, but until they change the rules — and they need to — there was nobody else in his league: .350, 8, 69.
Runner-up: C.C. Sabathia, Cleveland.
Manager of the Year
National League: Larry Bowa, Philadelphia.
Bowa had the Phillies in it right until the end, all without an eruption of Mt. St. Helens proportions.
Runner-up: Bobby Cox, Atlanta.
American League: Art Howe, Oakland.
Surviving an 8-18 start in this day and age was one thing, but turning it around to earn a wild card berth was truly remarkable.
Runner-up: Lou Piniella, Seattle.
